BC's Rakim Sanders prepares to get rid of the ball after a collision with North Carolina State's Gavin Grant.
(Barry Chin/Globe Staff)
BC 82, N.C. State 65
It was a game Boston College needed to win - desperately. That's hardly surprising for a team with a six-game losing streak.
Playing at home normally would help, but this is BC, where a Thursday night Atlantic Coast Conference game is an also-ran to other campus activities.
No, coach Al Skinner's Eagles needed other factors to motivate them.
So they did what they have done all season and went to Tyrese Rice, the best player in the ACC not named Tyler Hansbrough.
That was more than enough as the 6-foot-1-inch junior guard matched his career high with 32 points and dished out six assists to lead the Eagles (13-10, 4-6) over North Carolina State, 82-65, before a meager Conte Forum gathering of 5,138.
Skinner acknowledged the Eagles' sense of urgency. "It's been that way for a while," said the coach, who watched the Eagles bolt to a 41-32 halftime lead and pull away. "If we are going to have any success in this league, we're going to have to start winning some games."
Winning may not be enough, according to Skinner, who despite back-to-back 20-win seasons in the Eagles' first two ACC seasons believes BC is still regarded with less than the proper respect around the league. "We have to get respect in this league," he said. "I'm not sure if we have that. We have to go out and earn that."
With a young team and a nine-player rotation, BC has been what Skinner called a "work in progress." Last night was a case in point as the Eagles felt their way through the first 20 minutes, using different combinations in breaking down an N.C. State team that has been pesky all season.
Coach Sidney Lowe's team came into Conte as a mirror image of BC in some ways: a club that had shown only sporadic signs of promise during the first half of the season. The Wolfpack had a 3-3 record in their last six games, the most recent an 84-70 loss at Maryland Saturday. And in its ACC wins, N.C. State's average margin was 4.3 points.
Leading the way for the Wolfpack (15-9, 4-6) was 6-9 J.J. Hickson, the leading freshman scorer and rebounder in the ACC. Last night he collected 20 points and seven boards.
The Eagles began the way they did last week against Duke - with a sense of direction and purpose - as they bolted to a 20-9 lead. Leading the way was Rice, who had 11 points with an assortment of drives and moves that kept the Wolfpack off balance. It was the 51st time in 55 games Rice reached double figures.
"He's been playing pretty well the past few games," said Skinner. "But what has really improved is the way everyone else plays around him. Early in the season, we just stood around and watched. We must have thought he was Marques Haynes or something."
Although Rice was the star, he was not the only one in the show. Players ranging from guard Rakim Sanders (14 points, 12 rebounds) to forwards John Oates (8 points, 4 rebounds) and Tyler Roche (7 points, 6 rebounds) had key plays as the Eagles fought off a late N.C. State surge. The Wolfpack got within 6 points (63-57) with 6:13 remaining before the Eagles pulled away.
"We're making plays now," said Skinner. "We're paying attention to what's happening on the floor. That's a big step for this team. Once we get good shots, we're going to put the ball in the basket."
Rice says the team concept will carry the Eagles. "I can't be successful without my teammates," he said. "They put me in the right position. I just happened to have a big scoring night."
Rice added that the Eagles have felt a sense of urgency for a while. "Ever since we lost the first game [of the slump, at Virginia Jan. 19], it's been there," he said. "For us to win was a great thing. It feels good to be back on a winning path. We have to keep it up."
Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
